2.1 Liberal FeminismMost hegemonic societies are structured on the assumption that the public can be classified as inherently superior or inferior to one another. The differences were thus based on biological functions, skin color, geographical origins and even professions and lifestyles of individuals. Such notions came into question in the 17th and 18th centuries, when Western feudal traditions began to be replaced by a more liberal rationalist philosophy. The spirit of liberal feminism dates back to the great social and political upheaval of the French Revolution. It can be identified in Mary Astell's angry defense of women's equality (1700). “If absolute sovereignty is not necessary in a State, how is it that it is necessary in a family? … If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves? Many liberal feminists explain women's exclusion or inequality by referring to contemporary notions of female inferiority. They argue that women are internalized and rendered incapable of reasoning because of the upbringing and upbringing of men and women. ...